Carrying bag with a holder for hand-held electronic devices

ABSTRACT

A panel of a carrying bag incorporates an HED holder that includes a top hook member having a U-shaped receptacle portion for receiving the upper end of the HED in nested relation and a bottom hook member having a U-shaped receptacle portion for receiving the lower end of the HED in nested relation. The top hook member is affixed to the panel. The bottom hook member is connected to the panel by a band of elastic material, which biases the bottom hook member toward the top hook member so that the HED is forcibly gripped between the top and bottom hook members. A cover panel is fastened to the panel and forms with the panel a pocket that receives the band of elastic material.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a carrying bag having a holderthat securely holds hand-held electronic devices of various sizes andshapes in a manner that allows them to be inserted and removed quicklyand easily.

[0002] As used herein, the term “carrying bag” refers broadly topersonal leather goods, such as handbags, tote bags, portfolios,briefcases and the like, travel luggage items, and travel accessories.The terms “hand-held electronic devices” and “HED's” are used herein torefer broadly to cell phones, hand-held computers, hand-held E-mailterminals, Palm® personal data assistants (“PDS's”), and devices similarto PDA's in which data of all sorts can be input and storedelectronically, viewed, and exchanged with other devices, such ascomputers, by hard communication conduits or wireless communicationchannels.

[0003] HED's ordinarily are sold with a case or holster, which often hasa hook or spring clip that allows the case or holster to be attached tothe edge of a divider panel of a carrying bag, a user's belt, or part ofa garment. Many carrying bags do not have divider panels suitable for acase or holster, thus making them unsuitable for inserting the case orholster. Often, the cases or holsters are open at the top so that theuser can readily place the HED into and remove the HED from the case orholster. Cases and holsters with open tops present a risk of the HEDfalling out if the case or holster is inverted. Cases with closure flapsavoid the problem of having the HED fall out but are less convenient touse than open-topped cases and holsters.

[0004] There are some portfolios currently being marketed that have PDAholder accessories, which include interchangeable clips of differentsizes to permit the holder accessory to be used with PDA's of differentsizes but only by removing one clip and replacing it with another. Theprovision of multiple clips adds to the cost of the product and requiresthe user to select and install the proper clip for his or her PDA.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] One object of the present invention is to provide a carrying baghaving an HED holder that is constructed so that it can receive andsecurely hold HED's of various types, sizes and shapes. Another objectis to provide an HED holder that is suitable for use universally in awide variety of carrying bags. It is also an object to provide an HEDholder that is constructed so that a user can easily insert and removethe HED and so that the HED is securely held.

[0006] The foregoing objects are attained, in accordance with thepresent invention, by a carrying bag having a panel and an HED holderincorporated into the panel. The HED holder includes a top hook memberhaving a U-shaped receptacle portion adapted to receive an upper portionof the HED in nested relation, a bottom hook member having a U-shapedreceptacle portion adapted to receive a lower portion of the HED innested relation, a fastener affixing the top hook member to the panel,and a band of elastic material having one end fastened to the panel andthe other end fastened to the bottom hook member. The band is orientedrelative to the hook members and the panel such that the band biases thebottom hook member toward the top hook member so that the HED isforcibly gripped by the top and bottom hook members. A cover panel ofsheet material is fastened to the panel and forms with the panel apocket that receives the band of elastic material.

[0007] One important aspect of the present invention is that the bottomholder member is biased by the elastic band toward the top holdermember. In addition to forcibly gripping the HED to retain it in placein the holder, the elastic band allows the holder to accept HED's ofdifferent heights by self-adjusting to the height between the top andbottom edges of a particular HED. Thus, the user of a carrying bagincorporating a holder according to the present invention can insertvarious makes and types of HED's in the holder. The holder is, moreover,fastened to the panel of the carrying bag and cannot become dislodgedand possibly misplaced. The holder retains the HED securely by forciblygripping it at the top and bottom ends, so that the HED cannot becomedislodged, even if the carrying bag is inverted. The manner in which theHED is gripped also leaves the control buttons and screen exposed at thefront. Therefore, with some forms of carrying bags, such as portfolios,the HED can be operated without removing it from the holder. The holderis constructed such that it can be incorporated in any desired panel ofa carrying bag, such as on the inside of an outer wall, on a dividerpanel that forms compartments or pockets, or on a panel that forms anenvelope. Although the holder can be installed on the outside of a wallpanel, it will generally not be desirable to do so, lest the HED beeasily stolen.

[0008] The holder is easy to use—the user nests the bottom edge of theHED in the receptacle portion of the bottom hook member, applies adownward force to the HED to move the bottom hook member downwardlyagainst the bias of the elastic band until the top of the HED clears thefront lower edge of the receptacle portion of the top hook member, tiltsthe top of the HED into position directly below the receptacle portionof the top hook member, and releases the HED so that the elastic bandcan pull the bottom hook member upwardly and forcibly engage the top ofthe HED in the receptacle portion of the top hook member. The HED isremoved by pushing it down, tilting the upper end outwardly so that theupper end is clear of the receptacle portion of the upper hook member,and lifting it from the lower hook member.

[0009] Each of the hook members is, preferably, formed of a springmetal, such as spring stainless steel, so that the receptacle portionscan elastically enlarge to receive thicker HED's. Metal hook members canbe produced economically, are durable, and are of light weight. It is,however, entirely possible to make the hook members of a rigid, durablepolymeric material.

[0010] The receptacle portion of each of the hook members is at leastpartly lined with a non-slip insert for enhanced gripping of the HED.The inserts can be molded of a polymeric material having a highcoefficient of friction and moderate compressibility, which permits thesurface to deform and mate intimately with the surface of the HED thatit engages. Inserts of a moderately soft polymeric material also inhibitscratching of the HED. Compressible ribs or bosses can be provided onthe surface of the insert that engages the HED. The inserts may bemolded with a peripheral groove that permits them to be snapped intoreceiving holes in the receptacle portion of the hook members.. Theinserts can, alternatively, be adhered to the hook members by a contactadhesive, which may be applied to the back surfaces of the inserts wherethey are produced and covered with a release film for shipping andhandling.

[0011] Each hook member may be generally J-shaped in profile and includea base leg portion. The base leg portion of the bottom hook member isjoined to the band of elastic material. It is desirable, though notnecessary, that the band of elastic material be joined to the base legof the top hook member, thus forming a subassembly that can be joined tothe cover panel before the cover panel is assembled to the panel of thecarrying bag.

[0012] The cover panel may be formed of any durable sheet material, suchas a fabric, leather, PVC, PU or SANTOPRENE®. A non-slip material thatinhibits sliding of the HED in any direction and augments the forciblegripping of the upper and lower edges of the HED in retaining the HEDagainst dislodgment and displacement from the proper position isdesirable, though not essential. The cover panel should overlie at leastparts of the base legs of the hook members so that direct contactbetween the hook members and the back of the HED is avoided orminimized.

[0013] For a better understanding of the invention and its advantages,reference may be made to the following description of an exemplaryembodiment, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014]FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the holder members andelastic band of the embodiment;

[0015]FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the embodiment;

[0016]FIG. 3 is a generally schematic left side elevational view of theembodiment, and is a mirror image of the right side;

[0017]FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the embodiment, showing anHED received in the holder;

[0018]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a non-slip insert for the top hookmember; and

[0019]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a non-slip insert for the bottomhook member.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT

[0020] The embodiment includes a panel 10, which forms part of acarrying bag (as broadly defined above), and an HED holder 12 that isincorporated into the carrying bag by being attached to the panel 10.The panel 10 will ordinarily be a fabric or natural or syntheticleather, but it can also be of a semi-rigid plastic sheet or any othermaterial that is part of the carrying bag. When the panel is an outerwall of the carrying bag or of a pocket on the exterior of the carryingbag, the HED holder will ordinarily be attached on the inside of anexterior panel so as to be concealed and protected within the bag orpocket. The panel 10 may also be a divider panel or a panel that forms apocket or envelope located within the carrying bag. Among the advantagesof the present invention are the ability to associate the HED holderwith a variety of panels of carrying bags and to provide an HED holderin carrying bags of all sorts. As mentioned above, the HED holder isconstructed to receive HED's of various sizes and shapes. Thus, a userof a carrying bag according to the present invention can insert varioustypes and makes of HED's in his or her carrying bag.

[0021] The HED holder 12 has a top hook member 14 that includes aU-shaped receptacle portion 16 that is shaped and dimensioned to receivean upper portion of an HED in nested relation and a bottom hook member18 having a U-shaped receptacle portion 20 that is shaped anddimensioned to receive a lower portion of the HED in nested relation.The hook members may be made from spring stainless steel sheet material,which permits the U-shaped receptacle portions 16 and 20 to be deformedelastically to accept the upper and lower edge portions of HED's ofvarious thicknesses and to forcibly grip the edge portions of the HED.The hook members can be made of other materials, such as rigid polymericmaterials, if desired.

[0022] The top hook member 14 is affixed to the panel 10. The bottomhook member 18 is joined to the panel 10 by a band 22 of elasticmaterial having one end 22 a fastened to the panel 10 and the other end22 b fastened to the bottom hook member. The band 22 is orientedrelative to the hook members and the panel such that the band biases thebottom hook member 18 toward the top hook member so that the HED isforcibly gripped by the top and bottom hook members. The band 22 may,for example, be a strip of an elastic fabric or webbing.

[0023] In the embodiment, the top hook member 14 is joined indirectly tothe panel 10. Similarly, the end 22 a of the band 22 is joinedindirectly to the panel 10. In that regard, manufacture of the HEDholder is facilitated by producing a subassembly in which the hookmembers 14 and 18 are joined to the elastic band 22. In particular, thetop hook member 14 has a base leg portion 24 having a slot 26; thebottom hook member 18 has a base leg portion 28 having a slot 30. Theend portions 22 a and 22 b of the band 22 are inserted through the slots26 and 30 and are folded back to form loops. The loops are closed bystitches 32 and 34.

[0024] A cover panel 36 of sheet material is fastened to the elasticband 22 by stitches 38 that are located proximate to the end of the baseleg portion 24 of the top hook member 12 and extend crosswise of theband. The cover panel may be of a material that has a high coefficientof friction, which helps keep the HED from sliding relative to theholder 12. The cover panel 36 is fastened to the panel 10 of thecarrying bag by stitches 40 and 42 that extend longitudinally along thesides of the band 22 so as to form a pocket between the cover panel 36and the panel 10 that receives the band 22 of elastic material and partsof the leg portions 24 and 28 of the hook members 14 and 18. Perimeterstitches 46 join the cover panel 36 to the panel 10 of the carrying bagalong the perimeter of the cover panel (except along the opposite endsof the pocket formed by the stitches 42 and 44).

[0025] At any suitable stage during the assembly of the HED holder 12, atop non-slip insert 48 (see FIG. 5) is installed in the receptacleportion 16 of the top hook member 14, and a bottom non-slip insert 50(see FIG. 6) is installed in the receptacle portion 20 of the bottomhook member 18. The inserts may be molded from a soft elastomericpolymeric material having a high coefficient of friction. Suitablematerials for the inserts 48 and 50 include TPE and TPR syntheticelastomers. Ribs or bosses, which may be of various sizes, shapes and/orpatterns, allow for selective compression of the inserts so that theypresent surfaces that self-conform closely to the shapes of the upperand lower ends of the HED. Each of the inserts 48 and 50 has a bossportion with a peripheral groove 48 g, 50 g along its edge and aretaining rib 48 r, 50 r that is sized and shaped to permit the insertto be press-fit into a receiving hole in the receptacle portion of thehook members. Alternatively, the inserts may be adhered to the hookmembers by a contact adhesive, which may be applied to the inserts andthen covered by a release film by the supplier of the inserts. Therelease film is removed from the inserts at the time of installation onthe hook members.

[0026] An HED (see FIG. 4) is inserted into the holder 12 by firstpositioning the lower end of the HED in the receptacle portion 20 andthen pushing the HED downwardly until the upper edge is clear of thefront, lower lip of the receptacle portion 16 of the top hook member 14.The upper end of the HED is then tipped back toward the cover member 36so that it lies directly below the receptacle portion 16 of the top hookmember 14. The user then stops pushing downwardly so that the HED isallowed to be pushed upwardly by the elastic band 22 to seat the upperedge of the HED in nested relation in the receptacle portion 16 of theupper hook member 14. Thereafter, the elastic force of the band 22biases the bottom hook member 18 toward the top hook member 14 so thatthe HED is forcibly gripped by the hook members 14 and 18. The non-slipinserts 48 and 50 and the non-slip cover panel 36 enhance the frictionalforces acting between the HED and the holder 12 afforded by the forciblegripping of the HED by the hook members and also protect the HED frombeing marred by the holder 12. When the user desires to remove the HED,he or she grips the sides of the HED, pushes it down until the upperedge is clear of the lower front lip of the top hook member 14, andlifts it out of the lower hook member 18.

What is claimed is:
 1. A carrying bag, comprising a panel, and an HED holder, the HED holder including a top hook member having a U-shaped receptacle portion adapted to receive an upper portion of the HED in nested relation, a bottom hook member having a U-shaped receptacle portion adapted to receive a lower portion of the HED in nested relation, a fastener affixing the top hook member to the panel, and a band of elastic material having one end fastened to the panel and the other end fastened to the bottom hook member, the band being oriented relative to the hook members and the panel such that the band biases the bottom hook member toward the top hook member so that the HED is forcibly gripped by the top and bottom hook members, and a cover panel of sheet material fastened to the panel and forming with the panel a pocket that receives the band of elastic material.
 2. The carrying bag according to claim 1, wherein each of the hook members is formed of a spring metal.
 3. The carrying bag according to claim 1, wherein the receptacle portion of each of the hook members is at least partly lined with a non-slip insert for enhanced gripping of the HED.
 4. The carrying bag according to claim 3, wherein each insert is of a soft polymeric material that is deformable so as to self-adjust to the shape of the HED.
 5. The carrying bag according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the inserts has a boss portion with a peripheral groove along its edge and a retaining rib that is sized and shaped to permit the insert to be press-fit into a receiving hole in the receptacle portion of the hook member.
 6. The carrying bag according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the inserts is adhered to the hook member by a contact adhesive.
 7. The carrying bag according to claim 1, wherein each hook member is generally J-shaped in profile and includes a base leg portion joined to the receptacle portion.
 8. The carrying bag according to claim 7, wherein the base leg portion of the bottom hook member is joined to the band of elastic material.
 9. The carrying bag according to claim 8, wherein the band of elastic material is joined to the base leg portion of the top hook member.
 10. The carrying bag according to claim 1, wherein the cover panel is formed of a non-slip material that inhibits sliding of the HED.
 11. The carrying bag according to claim 10, wherein each hook member is generally J-shaped in profile and includes a base leg portion and the cover panel overlies parts of the base leg portions of the hook members.
 12. A carrying bag, comprising a panel, and an HED holder affixed to the panel, the HED holder including a top hook member of J-shape in lateral profile and having a base leg portion and a U-shaped receptacle portion adapted to receive an upper portion of the HED in nested relation, a bottom hook member of J-shape in lateral profile having a base leg portion and a U-shaped receptacle portion adapted to receive a lower portion of the HED in nested relation, a fastener affixing the base leg portion of the top hook member to the panel, and a band of elastic material having one end fastened to the panel and the other end fastened to the base leg portion of the bottom hook member, the band being oriented relative to the hook members and the panel such that the band biases the bottom hook member toward the top hook member so that the HED is forcibly gripped by the top and bottom hook members, and a cover panel of sheet material fastened to the panel and forming with the panel a pocket that receives the band of elastic material and at least part of the leg portion of each hook member.
 13. The carrying bag according to claim 12, wherein each of the hook members is formed of a spring metal.
 14. The carrying bag according to claim 12, wherein the receptacle portion of each of the hook members is at least partly lined with a non-slip insert for enhanced gripping of the HED.
 15. The carrying bag according to claim 14, wherein each insert is of a soft polymeric material that is compressible so as to conform to the shape of the HED.
 16. The carrying bag according to claim 15, wherein at least one of the inserts has a boss portion with a peripheral groove along its edge and a retaining rib that is sized and shaped to permit the insert to be press-fit into a receiving hole in the receptacle portion of the hook member.
 17. The carrying bag according to claim 15, wherein at least one of the inserts is adhered to the hook member by a contact adhesive.
 18. The carrying bag according to claim 12, wherein the band of elastic material is joined to the base leg of the top hook member.
 19. The carrying bag according to claim 12, wherein the cover panel is formed of a non-slip material that inhibits sliding of the HED. 